[Review] Typoman – Nintendo Switch

Typoman
Nintendo Switch

When the world needs hope, and is surrounded by a seemingly endless battle between good and evil, only one hero can fix things, and fix them with the power of words. In fact, let’s call him Hero, since he his made up of the letters that spell the word. Just like everything in the world around him, everything is made up of words. Enemies that spell Doom and Hate, free floating letters that can be manipulated into different words to change things. Typoman for Nintendo Switch’s combination of pen-and-ink styled art, with typography based puzzles and platforming is one that’s unique and superbly done. Literally everything you come across will either be made up of the letters that make it, have the letters splayed out across it, or can be manipulated by extra letters nearby.

This way of solving puzzles is a ton of fun, and it more than works for the theme of the game, and it could be practically anything. There could be a switch that you need to form the word “ON” nearby, a platform that needs to come “DOWN” or return “UP”. My personal favorite is the hallways of “GAS” that are impossible to traverse unless you have a “P” with you to take a “GASP” along the way.

Outside of the puzzles, the rest of Typoman‘s gameplay revolves around simple platforming. At first, Hero must be built (or spelled?). You’ll start as the head (O) and roll wherever you need to go. You’ll soon gain a torso (E) legs (H) and an arm (R). With each body part you’ll obtain a new “ability”. The torso lets you take short skips until you gain your legs, then you can move a bit faster and jump. Finally with your arm, Hero can grab on to things such as ropes to swing from and, the key to your success, he can grab letters to move them around.

However, watch out because as much as the words can be your friends, they can be your enemies as well. Obviously you’ll be dealing with the “GAS” clouds, and the enemies. But, you’ll also come across things like weighted platforms that will try and “CRUSH” you unless you “RUSH” past them (the C ends up being a part of the platform itself).

Overall, the game may not be a long marathon, but it’s a sweet ride for the short one that it is. Hero’s journey is a really beautiful narrative that is just that to watch it unfold as you play : a journey. The platforming can be a bit bland at times, but the puzzles more than make up for it, and might have you scratching your head along the way. So spell your way over to the eShop and get your copy of this game!